Undergarment



d- 1935- s. GEPHART I 8,782

UNDERGARMENT Filed July 28, 1932 i? As n -1&2; E "H y? ,,"II! I 11 ""Hh ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 29, 1935 STATS 1 Claim.

The principal object of my invention is the provision of a lower undergarment especially adapted to be worn by adults of both sexes in the place of drawers, said garment being readily adjustable to different waist sizes, involving no buttons, and so constructed that shrinkage of the material has no appreciable efiect.

Another object of my invention is to provide a lower undergarment which is very easily manufactured and used by the wearer, said garment being much cooler than the usual form of lower undergarment in that it does not cover the outer areas of the thighs.

A still further object of my invention is the provision of a lower undergarment involving a rectangular or elongated strip of cloth, one end of which is secured to a tape, as by sewing, and the other end of which is normally free from said tape but when in position on the wearer is secured by running it under and letting it hang over said tape which encircles the waist.

Other objectsand advantages of the invention relating to the particular arrangement and construction of the various parts will become apparent as the description proceeds.

Referring to the drawing illustrating my invention, the scope whereof is defined by the appended claim:--

Figure 1 is a perspective view 0! one form of my undergarment in initial position when applied to a wearer, the outline of the body of the wearer being fragmentarily shown in dot-dash lines, and the waist-line tape of the garment being indicated in secured position.

Figure 2 is a view corresponding to Figure 1, but showing the free end of the garment after being drawn between the limbs of the wearer and under the front portion of the waist-encircling member or tape.

Figure 3 is a view corresponding to Figure 2, but showing the undergarment in normal'position.

Figure 4 is a view of the undergarment shown in the preceding figures after removal from the wearer.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary detail on the line 5-5 of Figure 4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure-6 is a fragmentary detail on the line 66 of Figure 4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawing in detail, like parts being designated by like reference characters, there is shown a form of my invention in which the undergarment i comprises a rectangular strip of nainsook or other cloth 2. Three edges, that 5 is, the two long sides 3 and t, and one short side 5, are desirably finished by hemming, as illustrated in Figure 6, that is, a hem 6 may be turned and stitched or sewn in place, as indicated at I. of course, if one edge happens to be a selvage 1o edge, hemming is not necessary at that place.

The fourth or other short side 8 of the strip of material 2 has a waist-encircling member or tape 9 secured thereto in any desired manner, for example, as illustrated in Figure 5. The manner is of forming the connection between the tape and the corresponding edge or top hem of the garment, as shown in Figure 5, is to first form the stitches 10 across the top edge of the tape 9 and the corresponding part II of the cloth 2, after 20 which the tape and cloth are turned down to provide the fold shown and the second row of stitches l2 formed to complete the top hem, including the connection of the tape thereto. It will be seen that the intermediate portion of the tape is con- 25 nected to a short edge of the cloth, and the ends it and I 6 of the tape, which are preferably of equal length, extend from adjacent corners of the cloth.

The garment is supported from the body i5 of 30 the wearer by first tying the free ends I3 and N of the tape or waist-encircling member in front of the body, as indicated at It, allowing the cloth to hang down in back, as illustrated in Figure 1. The next position is illustrated in Figure 2 when the free end of the cloth has been drawn between the limbs and under the front part 01' the waist-encircling tape 8. The third and final position of the garment is illustrated in Figure 3 where the free end of the cloth 2 hangs over the waist-line tape, as indicated at H.

Although it will be understood that the size of the undergarment depends on the size of the person who wears it, yet a preferred form of garment for an individual of usual size may comprise a rectangular strip of cloth which, when hemmed, measures approximately 38" x 11", and the tape for each garment measures approximately 45" in length, one-half inch cotton tape being preferred. The two sides and bottom of the garment are desirably finished with a hem of one-fourth inch, the top or tape attached hem being finished by a turned down fold of the tape against the rectangular piece and stitched across,

a second row of stitching completing the top hem 5 including the tape, and the free ends of said tape being desirably of the same length.

From the foregoing disclosure. it will be seen that I have devised a lower undergarment which is comfortable and relatively cool as compared with drawers in that the outer areas of the thighs are not covered. It will also be clear that by virtue of the garment being formed of a pref-' erably rectangular strip of cloth and a tape, it may be manufactured with practically no waste of material, and at a minimum cost in that very little sewing is required, and no buttons are employed. It will also be understood that the garment is laundered almost as easily as a handkerchief and any shrinkage in the material will have no appreciable effect, as the tape is adjustably secured in front by tying. and the free edge of the piece of cloth is secured by merely being brought under and lapped over the tape.

By virtue of the construction of my improved undergarment, it will be seen that one size will do for a considerable range of wearer sizes in that a small person could use a garment which is big enough for a much larger person. This would result in economy in that a great many of the usual sizes of undergarments could be dispensed with, and only a few sizes carried for my improved form of garment.

Although a preferred embodiment of my invention has been illustrated; it will be understood that modiflcations may be made within the spirit and scope of the appended claim.

Iclaim: 5

A lower undergarment interchangeable with drawers, consisting simply of a generally rectangular piece of underwear material, longer than wide, and a member adapted to encircle the wearer's waist, the intermediate portion of said 10 member being attached to a short edge of said piece of material by two rows of stitches, the first connecting one edge of said member to a portion of the material spaced from the edge, and the second uniting the other edge of the member, the 15 adjacent edge portion of the material, and a portion of the material spaced from the edge on which the edge portion is folded, so that free ends extend from adjacent corners around the wearer's waist when the garment is worn. the ma- 2o terial being long enough to extend downwardly from the waist, forwardly between the legs, and upwardly under the waist-encircling member, with a portion of the free end normally hanging down over said waist-encircling member in front 25 of the wearer, to hold it in place.

STARR GEPHART. 

